Telling Original
by brat64
Summary: How did Original Cindy find out about Max after AJBAC? S1


**Telling Original. **

**Setting: Set after; "And Jesus Brought a Casserole". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own dark angel...blahblah wolfwolf.**

**Edited as of September 16, 2005. For OMG everything. _Cringes_.**

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Logan had waited until two days had passed to tell her. He couldn't go that night; the pain had still been too fresh in his heart. The next day he was too focused on his grief to worry about spreading the news. And then he woke up the next morning with the sense that maybe he had dreamt it all. No, make that a _hope_ that he had dreamt it all, but he hadn't been able to hold on to that for very long. His nothing if not reasonable mind had washed it all away.

Bling had come in later that day, asking how Logan was doing. Logan had looked up at him, blinked twice and nodded before looking back down, typing as fast as his fingers could fly across the key board. Bling had then moved on to small talk, commenting on the large bruise that covered one side of his forehead. He had finally given up, shaking his head as he walked towards the door.

He had put one arm through his jacket, opened the door then stopped. "Did you tell her friend... Original... I think, what's going on?" he had asked. Logan had looked up at him then, "No." had been his whispered reply. He typed a few more words, and then put his hands in his lap rubbing the machine that covered his legs.

Bling had stood there, watching him for a second more before he put his jacket on the rest of the way, smoothing down the collar and walking out the door as quietly as he had entered. Logan shook his head and tried to get his mind back on what he was doing. Even though he tried to ignore it, guilt burned slowly up his throat. With a sigh halfway between annoyance and despair, he saved his work and pushed himself away from the desk.

He had to go tell her, she deserved to know, so that she wouldn't have to set around and worry about her bestfriend. Even if knowing wasn't going to make her feel better.

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Now, he sat in his car in front of Jam Pony, afraid to get out. He rapped his nails against the wheel one more time before breathing deep and stepping out. Though he didn't move quickly, as he was trying to put this off for just a second longer. He paid deep attention to the cold, hard world around him.

He walked down the platform and up to the counter where Normal stood. He stood there until Normal looked up at him. "Oh, you. Logan wasn't it? Max's friend?"

"Yeah." Logan nodded at him. Now that he was in the building, he didn't want to waste time on this man.

Before he could ask for Original Cindy, Normal said; "Well, where the hell is she anyways? Next time you see her you might want to remind her of this little thing called… uh, work?" He flashed Logan an annoying smile. "And weren't you in a wheel chair?" Logan ignored the last question, and concentrated on the first.

"I'm not sure when she'll be able to come back in. It might be a _long_ while. She has...medical problems. She might never be back." He told him, not wanting to make it real by staying the word 'dead' out loud.

Normal blinked, and made a noncommittal sound. "Well, little missy better have doctors note when she comes back." He mumbled, already going back to the work he had been doing when Logan approached him. "I'm here to talk to Cindy."

"Yeah? Well, tough. She's working." Logan was about to snap back, the sleepless nights and grief getting to him hen he heard her voice. He turned towards the sound and spotted her. "Never mind." He said, walking away and ignoring Normal calling out to him.

"Hey." Logan said putting a hand on her shoulder, turning her around. She'd been smiling, but when she saw the look on Logan's face it quickly faded and wrinkles appeared in her forehead.

"Hey guy. Where's Max? I figured when she didn't show, that she was bunk'n with you." Logan shook his head slowly, and indicated 'somewhere more private' with a nod of his head. "Can we talk?" She nodded, and they walked away, leaving a confused Herbal in their wake.

"What is it?" She asked. Logan took his hand off her arm and dropped it to his side.

"A couple of days ago… Max. She told you about the plan to take Manticore, right?" Original Cindy nodded slowly, and he could almost feel the fear creeping in to her chest. The same fear that now resided in his own permanently. "It, it didn't go well. I'm not clear on the whole story," her eyes traveled to the bruise on his face, "But things didn't go as planned. Max, she was shot. She… she didn't make it. She's…" he still couldn't make himself say it, couldn't force to words from his throat. "The bullet, it hit her heart."

He left out the rest, that people had died, that Zach had been taken as well. Original looked shocked, she was shaking her head. And he had the sudden need to give her some level of comfort, no matter how little it was, no matter that in the end it could end up hurting more than it hurt right now, even though he didn't feel that was possible.

"It's just. I don't feel it." He placed a hand on his chest. "I don't feel it. If she were gone… I saw her, but I would feel it if she was dead." _Dead._ "And I don't." He looked at her, really looked at her as he tried to convey his meaning to her.

Cindy looked away from him for a long moment, trying to pull it all together. It was a lot to digest, she had just been told that her bestfriend was gone, and then her bestfriend's almost boyfriend had told her that even though he had seen her, he still thought that there was hope.

She finally looked back to him, placing her hand on her chest in a mirror image of his. Telling him that she didn't feel it _there_ either.

"It's a long shot… I just can't give up on her."

She nodded, and clasped his arm. "Then Original Cindy won't rest until we find my boo. Alive or dead. And until Manticore is gone. They aren't gonna get away with this."

Logan nodded, seeing the look on her face and knowing that she meant it. Telling her this had been one of the hardest things he'd had to do in awhile, and he'd put it off. But as it turned out, talking to her only given him more hope. For the future… for Max. For them.

_**END**_


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